Mazda Motor Corporation

Naldec Corporation

Mineharu Shibata

Shin Takehara

Toshiki Morita

Shigefumi Hirabayashi

Hiroshi Ohmura

Takeshi Edahiro

Tatsuaki Taniguchi

Nagahisa Fujita

Ryuya Akita

Kiyoshi Sakamoto

Masao Hideshima

Hiroyoshi Kumada

Seiji Miyamoto

Kenji Shodai

Etsuko Yamamoto

Junichi Miyawaki

Shin Tkkehara

Yasuhiko Matsumura

A suspension apparatus for vehicles capable of changing the characteristic of the suspension by controlling supply/release of fluid into/from hydraulic cylinders which are respectively provided between a vehicle body and-at least two wheels provided on the right and left side of the vehicle body. The suspension apparatus includes a pressure detection sensor for detecting a pressure in the hydraulic cylinders and an acceleration detection sensor for detecting a lateral acceleration signal of the vehicle body. A target pressure difference is set to control supply/release of the fluid into/from the right and left cylinders based on the detected pressure differences of the right and left cylinders. The target pressure difference is corrected based on the detected lateral acceleration, and a flow amount supplied into and drawn from control-objective cylinders of the hydraulic cylinders is controlled using signals detected so that a pressure difference within the right and left cylinders goes toward the corrected target pressure difference.

Suspension apparatus for changing characteristics of a vehicle

A suspension apparatus for vehicles capable of changing a characteristic of suspension by controlling supply/release of fluid into/from hydraulic cylinders which are respectively provided between a vehicle body and each wheel. The apparatus detects vehicle height signals at a plurality of positions and extracts at least a bouncing component signal and a rolling component signal from vehicle-height signals detected by the plurality of vehicle-height sensors. Each of the bouncing component signal and rolling component signals are filtered and are used to control supply/release of fluid into/from hydraulic cylinders based on the filtered signals. A cut-off frequency for the rolling component signal set in said filtering unit is set higher than that for the bouncing component signal.

Vehicle suspension apparatus capable of preventing generation of

A vehicle having learning control includes a running condition detecting device for detecting a driving condition of the vehicle, a running characteristic control device for controlling a control gain to change a running characteristic of the vehicle and a gain control device for learning the running characteristic of the vehicle to change the control gain. The running characteristics of the vehicle can be controlled corresponding to various running conditions.

Learning control vehicle

A safety device for an automobile vehicle includes a first integration circuit for integrating an output value generated from a G sensor and a decision circuit for comparing the integrated value with a predetermined decision level to determine whether the safety device should be activated. In the first integration circuit, a previously integrated value is incrementally reduced to provide a current integrated value.

Safety device for an automobile vehicle

A vehicle control system having plurality of control units, as well as sensors and actuators having a comparatively high degree of importance in terms of control by these control units, which are separately connected to first and second transmission lines. Sensors and actuators having a comparatively low degree of importance are assigned to the second transmission line. The outputs from the comparatively important sensors enter the respective control units directly via the first transmission line. A back-up program for backing up one control unit in case of failure is stored beforehand in another control unit. If the control unit fails, the other control unit performs back-up control to take over its tasks.

Vehicle control system over a plurality of transmission lines

A fluid cylinder unit is disposed between a vehicle body and each of wheels and suspension characteristics are changed by changing the control amount of operating fluid to be supplied to or discharged from the fluid cylinder. The control amount is given based on predetermined conditions using the traveling state of the vehicle such as vehicle height, velocity of displacing the vehicle height and vertical acceleration as a parameter. A filter causes a gain of the control amount to be reduced as the frequency of vibration gets larger. A time constant of the filter is so set to become larger as the operated control amount gets larger when the control amount is smaller than a predetermined value, while the time constant is set to the predetermined value when the control amount is equal to or larger than the predetermined value. Specifically, the control amount Q is determined by the following formula: Q=Qc/(1+k.times.Qo.times.S) (where Qc is a control amount operated; k is a constant; S is a Laplace's operator; and Qo is a time constant set to Qo=Qc when Qc is lower than a predetermined value W, and to W when Qc is equal to or larger than the predetermined value W.) The filter can prevent oscillation without causing any decrease in sensitivity to control.

Suspension apparatus of automotive vehicle

A suspension system for a vehicle has cylinder devices in which suspension characteristics are changed by controlling fluid supply/discharge to/from the cylinder devices. The fluid pressure in the cylinder devices is sensed, and warping of the vehicle body is computed based on the sensed pressures. Then the fluid supply/discharge to/from the cylinder devices is controlled so as to suppress the warping of the vehicle body by a warp control unit. The warp control unit is provided so as to change the ratio of the fluid supply/discharge to/from the cylinder devices of the front wheels to the fluid supply/discharge to/from the cylinder devices of the rear wheels.

Suspension system for a vehicle

A vehicle suspension system includes a cylinder device provided between a vehicle body member and a vehicle wheel member for the vehicle body member in which suspension characteristics are changed by controlling a hydraulic fluid supply for the cylinder device. A pressure detector detects a hydraulic pressure of the cylinder device for each of the vehicle wheel members, and a warp control unit computes a warping of vehicle body so as to control a hydraulic fluid supply for the cylinder device in a manner such that the warp of the vehicle body is suppressed. The warp control unit is provided with a front pressure ratio computing section for computing a front hydraulic pressure ratio between the cylinder devices for right and left front wheels, and a rear pressure ratio computing section for computing a rear hydraulic pressure ratio between the cylinder devices for right and left rear wheels so that the warp control unit controls the hydraulic fluid supply for the cylinder device based on the front and rear hydraulic pressure ratios. The front pressure ratio computing section produces a value of the hydraulic pressure ratio corresponding to a threshold limit value when the front hydraulic pressure ratio computed in the front pressure ratio computing section is beyond the threshold limit value. An understeer property of the vehicle can thus be obtained in a high lateral acceleration condition.

Vehicle suspension system

A vehicle suspension system includes a liquid piston-cylinder device connected between the vehicle body and a wheel. A liquid pump is provided in a liquid passage which connects the liquid piston-cylinder device to a reservoir in which hydraulic liquid is reserved, and feeds under pressure the hydraulic liquid in the reservoir through the liquid passage. A control valve controls the flow of the hydraulic liquid through the liquid passage, thereby controlling feed and discharge of the hydraulic liquid to and from the liquid piston-cylinder device in order to control the properties of the suspension. An accumulator is connected to the liquid passage between the liquid pump and the control valve and accumulates the hydraulic liquid under pressure. A return passage connects the reservoir to the liquid passage between the liquid pump and the control valve and is provided with an on-off valve which opens and closes the return passage. The on-off valve closes the return passage when the ignition switch is turned off.

According to the invention, vehicular electronic equipment provides an antenna located in the lower portion of the window. Electronic and mechanical accessories of the vehicle are controlled by a control unit which is controlled or actuated in accordance with information received through the antenna. One end of the antenna is formed for an interface contact. The control unit and the antenna are coupled via interface contacts. Preferably the coupling is so controlled that the two contacts thereof are kept open while the window is moving, and in a closed position when the window is stationary. The control unit analyzes whether all doors are locked and the results of such analysis is outputted to the outside of the vehicle through the antenna. This assists in preventing theft.

Growing community of inventors

Ohtake, Japan

Mineharu Shibata